7. Carter G. Woodson National Historic Site, Washington, D.C.

Number of visitors in 2018: 1,954

The home of the founder of the precursor to Black History Month has been a national park site since 2006, but because of structural problems the house was not open to the public until 2017. Now, visitors can join tours every Thursday, Friday and Saturday to learn about the extraordinary contributions of Carter G. Woodson to African American history. The son of formerly enslaved parents, Woodson became the second African American to obtain his PhD from Harvard University, after W.E.B Du Bois. He founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, created academic publications dedicated to African American history, and established a company that published the works of African American authors. His life’s work has earned him the unofficial title of “father of black history.”